Our Values

Our Statement on British Values

Happy together, Learning for Life

Our recently developed school logo represents the mission statement above. The logo represents how our children grow and change through their time at Carswell whilst caring for each other. It also reflects our commitment to a ‘growth mindset’ approach to learning – see below.

We are respectful, resilient, responsible, reflective and resourceful

Our additional values have been chosen over time by the School Council and Staff. They include:

We aim to promote a positive attitude to life and learning, enabling learners to gain the skills needed to be happy and successful in 21st century Britain and the wider world.

At Carswell we teach children that kindness leads to happiness and how to ‘learn for life’. Our children understand that to learn something new it takes effort and determination to bring out their best so that they can be successful in modern Britain.

They expect tasks to be challenging and, when they are stuck, to think ‘I can’t do this yet,’ seeking support when necessary.

We aim to develop a learning culture where everyone in the class expects to help each other and to readily accept advice on how to improve their own learning.

Our ‘Good Learner’ posters are displayed all around our school and in classrooms so that we remember to think about them all the time.

Carswell is working in partnership with Thameside, Caldecott and Larkmead Schools to create a common approach to Building Learning Power with Guy Claxton’s company, The Learning Organisation.

At Carswell, we encourage and model kindness between people. We believe that positivity breeds positivity and aim to hold each other in ‘unconditional positive regard’ (as defined by Carl Rogers). This principle applies in all of our relationships: child to child, adult to adult, adult to child and child to adult.

Before we speak, we try to remember to ask ourselves these three questions:

Is it true?

Is it kind?

Is it necessary?

This helps us to only say things that will make a positive difference to people.

We finish our assemblies with a short reflection to help us to start the week in a positive way.

‘May I be happy. May I always feel safe. May I be free.’

We then apply this to another living thing for which or whom we care about.